Modern embroidery machines typically have multiple sewing heads. Each of these heads can embroider a pre-selected design onto a section of fabric. Before the machine can embroider a given section of fabric, the fabric must be mounted onto an embroidery hoop, which is then attached to the machine. This mounting process is called hooping or framing the fabric. An embroidery hoop typically consists of an inner ring and an outer ring that fit snugly together, with the fabric section captured therebetween. The outer ring might include some adjustment means to adjust precisely the snugness of the fit between the inner and outer rings to compensate for the thickness of the fabric. After the fabric is hooped, the hoop can be attached to an embroidery machine for stitching.
Traditionally, the hooping process was performed manually. Manual hooping is slow and laborious, and with the increased competitiveness of the marketplace, eliminating manual labor has become a paramount objective. If an embroidery facility is using multiple-head embroidery machines, then it is critical to provide those machines with a steady flow of hooped fabric to maximize the throughput of embroidered items. Thus, if the hooping process is not performed quickly and efficiently, it can create a production bottleneck in the entire embroidery facility, thus reducing throughput, hampering production, and decreasing profits.
Also, manual hooping can inflict repetitive-stress injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, upon the workers performing the manual hooping task. To manually hoop fabric, a worker must exert considerable force with the hands and arms to press the two rings together and capture the fabric. Exerting this force dozens or hundreds of times per shift can cause repetitive-stress injuries. In recent years, these repetitive-stress injuries have received increased attention from employers, insurers, and health care providers. The cost of treating these injuries, the cost of insurance and workers' compensation premiums, and the cost of worker downtime have motivated employers to take precautions to prevent their employees from suffering such injuries.